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My point of view #20

Something is about to happen in Barcelona. Something important. Well, maybe ¨important¨ is not quite the word: ¨stunning¨ or ¨amazing¨ would be the best word for some people, it has to be said. The thing is, on July 19th and 20th, Bruce Springsteen is coming to town.

Come on now, don’t get all cynical about it. I am NOT writing this article when all the tickets are already sold out and you no longer have the slightest chance of getting to see one of the living myths of popular music. Quite the opposite, because, surprisingly enough, there are still some tickets left for the last concert of the tour, on the 20th. Yes, I know that the most logical thing would have been for the last concert of the tour to be full to bursting, but on this occasion Bruce or whoever organizes the concert dates for him has come a cropper in a big way. A concert was announced for the day after (the 20th) instead of for the day before (the 18th), which would have been more natural because that way those who had made a big effort to buy tickets for what was originally going to be the only concert in town (on the 19th), and so logically those who wanted to see him most, now have the choice of either going to both concerts or settling for seeing the next-to-last concert of Bruce’s tour …but that’s another matter.

The subject for today is the emotional impact that Bruce’s concerts cause on the city each time he decides to perform here. I don’t know when this love affair between Bruce Springsteen and Barcelona began, but the fact is that it runs deep. Every time he decides to perform in the city (which usually happens about once a year), people (i.e., all his fans) go crazy. People start to speculate on where, when and how they will be able to get tickets, how many they will be able to buy per person, where the concert will take place, which numbers he will sing, etc.

The mystery of this love affair between the Boss and the city goes beyond the mere details of the concerts, though: it is a passion that has been building up little by little, without any special hullabaloo, in a spirit of loyalty and respect. On more than one occasion the singer himself has recognized that something special and inexplicable happens at his Barcelona concerts, something that makes him give his best. This is something that only happens when love is genuine and is shared both ways.

They say that everybody should go to a concert by Bruce at least once. So if you are lucky enough to be in Barcelona on the 19th and 20th, remember that you can still get tickets, and even if despite it all you don’t quite make up your mind to go, go to the area around the Camp Nou football stadium on one of the two days, and maybe you’ll buy tickets next time…

And here’s me telling you all this, when I don’t even consider myself to be a fully signed-up Bruce Springsteen fan myself…

QUESTION: Why Barcelona? ANSWER: Because it’s not only goals that are cheered at the football stadium.